November 2008

“manufactured by Thonet” – Muji presents a new collection of bentwood and tubular steel furniture

Thonet, the oldest furniture brand in the world and the German manufacturer of high-quality furnishings, is producing a simplifi ed form of bentwood and tubularsteel furniture for the Japanese retail chain Muji. The products are manufactured completely at Thonet’s headquarters in Frankenberg, Germany to the company’s customary high quality standards.

The result of the joint venture between the Japanese lifestyle chain Muji and the furniture manufacturer Thonet were presented at Tokyo Design Week in November 2008 - Muji manufactured by Thonet is a collection of simplified, stylised Thonet icons made of bentwood and tubular steel.

The first models that have just been presented in Tokyo are reminiscent of those bentwood chairs that were the cornerstone on which the Thonet success story was built.The most famous bentwood chair, No. 14 (still featuring in the latest Thonet collectionunder the product designation 214) is celebrating its 150th birthday and, as such, is probably the oldest industrial product still in production today. The chair is sold alongs idea range of tables that has a convincingly understated elegance thus marrying perfectly with the expressively styled chair. The English designer James Irvine, nowdomiciled in Milan, and also creative director at Thonet, is responsible for the reinterpretation of the bentwood furniture.

In addition to the bentwood tradition, the Muji manufactured by Thonet collection also features the second revolutionary trend associated with the Thonet brand, namelythe company’s tubular steel furniture tradition dating back to the 1920s. An iconographic tubular steel cantilever chair is sold alongside a desk and a range of side tables that have a convincingly effortless style and cool beauty, as did the models onwhich they are based. This collection was created by the German designer Konstantin Grcic.

In Europe, the Muji manufactured by Thonet collection is to be distributed as from spring 2009. It is to be marketed via Muji’s own chain of stores. The new models are produced at Thonet’s headquarter in Frankenberg, a town in the north of the German regional state of Hesse. The collection is to be enhanced in the near future to include further models.

Roland Ohnacker, managing director of Thonet GmbH, explains the background behind the joint venture with Muji: “For us, the cooperation with Muji, which started in 2007, marks an important, strategic step towards younger target groups. Following up on Stefan Diez’s ‘Programm 404’, which already contributed to the rejuvenation of the Thonet brand, the aim now is for the Muji manufactured by Thonet collection to help 18 to 35 year-olds enter the Thonet brand world. It goes without saying that the sales efforts for our own Thonet collection of highest quality furniture is totally unaffected by the joint venture with Muji - here too we see great development potential in 2009 for the existing programme and for the numerous exciting new products we are launching”.

The products of the Muji manufactured by Thonet collection are available in Europe atselected Muji Stores from Spring 2009.